Tomato & Parmigiano Reggiano Salad

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Most probably, I am one of only ten people in the whole wide world who does not love Insalata Caprese .
While I am a big fan of cheese, tomato, and basil, raw mozzarella is just not my cup of tea.
Parmigiano Reggiano on the other hand, is something I could eat (and I do) for breakfast, lunch , dinner and any time in between. (Bella is also a fan). 🙂
This featured salad of Parmigiano Reggiano, tomatoes, basil and onions is something that shows up on our dinner table typically at least once a week. Usually, I make at least two or three portions, because, like so many simple foods, it tastes even better the next day. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Preparation :
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: bring 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar to a simmer

: reduce until slightly thickened, set aside

: cut a French baguette lengthwise into three equal slices

: brush the slices gererously with garlic paste, bake until golden and crisp

: slice good quality, RIPE tomatoes into fine slices

: layer tomatoes in a bowl

: top tomatoes with onion rings (optional), season with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, EVO and white balsamic vinegar, marinade for at least two hours

: add parmigiano Reggiano batons

: garnish with some greens and fresh basil (Spoon some of the dressing over the greens), drizzle the balsamic vinegar reduction over the cheese

: Tomato & Parmigiano Reggiano Salad

: Tomato & Parmigiano Reggiano Salad

: Tomato & Parmigiano Reggiano Salad

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE

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Pork & Beans

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If the mention of “Pork & Beans” stirs up a picture in your head like the one above, you might be ready to move on to the wonderful “Pork & Beans” I’d like to introduce to you today.
Admittedly, there were times when during my (much) younger years, after a night of too much booze and too many other spoils of the wild life, many times the final straw was a cold can of baked beans, straight off the cupboard and out of the can, washed down with the last couple of beers of the day. Ahhhh, the sophistication of youth. 🙂
Nowadays, at least for myself, enjoying pork and beans requires slightly more effort, better quality ingredients, and flavor and texture more geared towards grown-ups. The reward is a dish I always and often enjoy to the fullest, any time of the day, either as a snack, appetizer or outsized main course 🙂

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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Pork & Beans

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Preparation :
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: 2 lbs pork ribs or belly

: simmer pork with 2 ea scallions,1 peeled onion, 1 tblsp garlic paste, 1 tblsp tomato paste and kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: simmer pork until very tender, but not falling apart There should be about 1 qt stock remaining, if not, adjust

: remove pork to a cutting board, remove and discard bones, cut into bite size pieces

: add 1 lb smoked pork sausage, cut into cubes

: add 1 ea 12 oz can of cooked, rinsed, drained white beans

: blend until smooth

: add 1 can each rinsed, drained diced tomatoes, 1 ea black beans, one ea white beans, 1 ea red kidney beans and 3 ea sliced scallions

: simmer for 3 minutes

: add the pork and sausages, simmer another 3 minutes, check/adjust seasoning

: Pork & Beans

: Pork & Beans

: Pork & Beans

: Pork & Beans

: Pork & Beans

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Salad Days Are Here To Stay……….”Carlo’s Salvation”

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A couple of days ago I skype’d with my friend Carlos in Argentina. He informed me that he has decided to practice a healthier life style from here on.
As part of his new lifestyle, he intends to be eating lot’s of veggies and salads. However, he’s big worry is that salads and veggies are “boring” and “not real meals”.
Well, I put his mind at ease and we talked for nearly an hour about the huge variety of veggies and salads, the myriad of recipes, different ways of preparation and the endless number of combinations possible.

I also reminded him that a salad or vegetable dish can include healthy options of protein, such as poultry, seafood, game, any kind of lean meat, etc, etc.
I further reminded him that if he fancy’s a dish that he likes which has an ingredient he’d rather not eat (bacon?), he can either just substitute it with something more to his liking, or just omit it.
Furthermore, for a large variety of healthy suggestions and inspirations, there is always
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Salad on ChefsOpinion
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Click here for Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe
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Salad Days Are Here To Stay……….”Carlo’s Salvation”

plate the salad on a large serving platter, add 1 cup daikon radish sprouts, drizzle sprouts with EVO

Salad Days Are Here To Stay……….”Carlo’s Salvation”

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Preparation :
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: 2 cup spinach, 1/2 cup onion julienne, 2 cup halved grape tomatoes; dress with 1/2 cup raspberry vinaigrette

: mix the flesh of 1 ea avocado with kosher salt, lime juice, olive oil and half a finely chopped red chili (or to taste)’; return to the empty shells

: render 6 slices of bacon until crisp but not dry, remove to absorbent paper

: plate the salad on a large serving platter, add 1 cup daikon radish sprouts, drizzle sprouts with EVO

: add the avocados

: top with the bacon, add 9 oz gorgonzola; serves 2 main course or 6 appetizers

: Salad Days Are Here To Stay……….”Carlo’s Salvation”

: Salad Days Are Here To Stay……….”Carlo’s Salvation”

: Salad Days Are Here To Stay……….”Carlo’s Salvation”

: Salad Days Are Here To Stay……….”Carlo’s Salvation”

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE

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Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

Parmesan Crusted sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

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Pork tenderloin – so versatile, tasty and wonderfully textured. What’s not to love about this “other white meat” 🙂
However, make sure you cook it to a safe temperature without overcooking it. Frankly, I don’t understand the trend to cook pork medium or even medium rare.
Besides the obvious health risk, medium or rare-cooked pork has a horrible texture. But then, maybe that’s just old-fashioned me ?
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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(The National Pork Board recommends cooking pork chops, roasts, and tenderloin to an internal temperature between 145° F. (medium rare) and 160° F. (medium), followed by a 3 minute rest.
Since large cuts increase approximately 10° F. while resting, remove them from the heat at 150° F. followed by a 10 minute rest).
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Click here for Tomato Sauce Recipe on ChefsOpinion
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top the potatoes with the medallions

add 2 tblsp of tomato sauce to each medallion, top with the sautéed veggies

Parmesan Crusted sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

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Preparation :
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: cut the head and the tip off of 2 ea porktenderloin. (Reserve the heads and tips for another dish), flatten the remaining 4 pieces into madaillons

: mix 1/2 cup shredded parmesan and 1/4 cup of corn starch, season with cayenne pepper and granulated garlic to taste

: dip and press both sides of the medaillons into the mixture

: saute the medaillons together with 16 ea small, blanched potatoes in EVO until the pork is cooked to your liking and the potatoes are golden and crisp

: plate the potatoes on a serving dish, reserve the pork on a warm plate

: saute 1/4 red/green/ and red pepper julienne together with 1/2 medium sliced onion and 6 ea small crimini in 1 tblsp EVO, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

: top the potatoes with the medallions

: add 2 tblsp of tomato sauce to each medallion, top with the sauteed veggies

: Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

: Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

: Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

: Parmesan Crusted Sautéed Pork Medallions, With Potatoes, Bell Peppers And Crimini

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Chinese Stir Fried Rice Sticks With Cabbage And Egg

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Sometimes, when I followed my daily cravings for seafood and meat for a while, a meat-less-and seafood-less dish is all I require for a proper meal.
This dish ticks all the right boxes for me for a satisfying meal – Noodles/Cabbage/Eggs/Chili/Hoisin and Garlic, it’s all there, propped-up with a healthy dose of fresh-cracked black peppercorn, and pronto, I am ready to dig-in, enjoy and be happy. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Rice Sticks on Chefsopinion
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Chinese Stir Fried Rice Sticks With Cabbage And Egg

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: whisk 8whole eggs with fresk-crushed black pepper, sriracha and kosher salt to taste, scramble with 2 tblsp peanut oil until just set, remove and reserve

: saute julienne from 1 ea large white onion with 1 tblsp garlic paste and 1/2 tsp grated ginger in 2 tblsp peanut oil until onions are translucent

: add juliennes from 1 ea medium sized white cabbage, season with kosher salt to taste, 1 tblsp chili paste. 1 tblsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tblsp hoisin sauce and 1 tsp fresh grd black pepper corn, sautee until the cabbage starts to soften

: add 12 oz soaked rice stick and 2 cup chicken or vegetable stock, mix very well

: ,remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning (I added another tbls of chili paste , 1 tsp garlic paste and a bit more kosher salt)

: add the scrambled eggs, mix lightly ; serves 6

: Chinese Stir Fried Rice Sticks With Cabbage And Egg

: Chinese Stir Fried Rice Sticks With Cabbage And Egg

: Chinese Stir Fried Rice Sticks With Cabbage And Egg

: Chinese Stir Fried Rice Sticks With Cabbage And Egg

: Chinese Stir Fried Rice Sticks With Cabbage And Egg

: Chinese Stir Fried Rice Sticks With Cabbage And Egg

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE

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So here Is My Excuse……..

Bella & Hans

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Dear Friends,
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I would like to keep you informed for the reason I don’t post regularly anymore.
As I mentioned some time ago, I will not post as many recipes and articles as usual, cutting down from an average of about ten posts a month to maybe two or three. This will go on for anywhere from three Months to maybe 6 months.
The main reason for this “slacking” is my health. I am in a brutal healing and recovery period, during which time, on most days, I am too weak to cook, not able to swallow solid food and I will have no sense of taste.
As you might can imagine, because of this, blogging will be nearly impossible for me during the majority of the time. However, I can promise that if and as soon as my health improves, ChefsOpinion will be back in full force.
At this point, I rather not reveal or discuss my illness.
My doctors assure me of a high probability that within the year, I’ll be back in the saddle 🙂
So, if you thought that the reason for the decreasing frequency of my posts is that I have lost interest in publishing ChefsOpinion, please know that this is not the case.
I am looking forward to a regular schedule of posts, two to three times a week, in the near future 🙂
Meanwhile, most of the posts on ChefsOpinion will be formerly unpublished recipes/picture I prepared during the past eight months.
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Life is Good !
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P.S.
There are about 1400 recipes on ChefsOpinion, so I suggest at this time, if you need some culinary inspiration, you might explore what you have missed in the past 🙂
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To select a dish by Picture, click here for all dishes on ChefsOpininon
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To select a dish by Chronology, click here for all dishes on ChefsOpininon

Peel & Eat Chili / Garlic Shrimp

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Attention !!! Bib and lot’s of paper towels required 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Shrimp on ChefsOpinion
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Peel & Eat Chili / Garlic Shrimp

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Preparation :
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: heat 1/2 cup EVO

: saute 1 tblsp chili flakes and 1 tblsp garlic paste until fragrant

: add 2 lbs deveined, shell-on tail-on shrimp, season with 2 tblsp lemon juice and kosher salt to taste, saute shrimp until almost cooked through (the carry-over heat will do the rest), remove from heat, add 1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

: Peel & Eat Chili / Garlic Shrimp

: Peel & Eat Chili / Garlic Shrimp

: Peel & Eat Chili / Garlic Shrimp

: Peel & Eat Chili / Garlic Shrimp

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Haricots Verts En Salade

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There is “Bean Salad” – and then, there is THIS “Bean Salad”! 🙂
Whether enjoyed as a snack, appetizer or main course – this bean salad ticks off all the marks for a wonderful salad: Beautiful, tasty and satisfying.
What else could you ask for from a salad? 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Salad on ChefsOpinion
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Haricots Verts En Salade

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Preparation :
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: blanche 1 pl cleaned beans in salted water, shock in ice water, drain

: cut 6 oz bacon into large pieces

: saute the bacon until fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp

: drain the bacon; use the fat for another recipe (such as sauteed potatoes)

: cut 1/2 ea red pepper, 1/2 ea yellow pepper and 1 ea red onion into julienne/rings

: poach 3 ea eggs to your preferred doneness

: dress the beans with 1/2 tsp chili paste, 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tblsp EVO, 1/2 tblsp red wine vinegar and kosher salt to taste

: plate the beans

: top with the onions/peppers

: top with the poached eggs, top with the crispy bacon

: Haricots Verts En Salade

: Haricots Verts En Salade

: Haricots Verts En Salade

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE
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Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon With Baby Arugula

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Once in a while, when you don’t have the time, urge or patience to cook a complicated dish, but still want to dine like a king/queen – this is for you 🙂
Total prep time – 5 minutes
Total time from start to end – 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filet and your preference of doneness of the fish (internal temperature).
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Salmon on ChefsOpinion
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Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon With Baby Arugula

Bella’s Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon

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Preparation :
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: trim 1.5 lbs salmon filet, remove all pin bones with tweezers, remove skin

: season salmon filet on both sides with EVO, kosher salt, garlic paste, sriracha and lemon juice to taste, place on a wire rack

: I cut up the un-seasoned skin for Bella; put the rack into a 420F pre-heated oven

: cook until salmon is done to your liking ( I prefer to cook mine to med-well- the carry-over heat will cook it to a perfect, juicy doneness); meanwhile, dress 8 oz baby arugula with 2 tblsp dressing of your choice; serves 2

: Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon With Baby Arugula

: Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon With Baby Arugula

: Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon With Baby Arugula

: Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon With Baby Arugula

: Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon With Baby Arugula

: Bella’s Baked Wild Sockeye Salmon

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P.S.
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This dish is part of my upcoming meal plan # 2 –
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH TWO
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Click here for
“HANS’ LIGHTER, HEALTHIER COMFORT FOOD” – MONTH ONE
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Salade De Gésiers (Romaine and Red Onions In Tarragon Vinaigrette, With Chili Gizzards & Honey Garlic Yogurt)

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As loyal readers of ChefsOpinion, by now you know of my love of innards and lesser cuts of animals – feet, heart, necks, liver, tails, kidneys, tripe, marrow, tongue,etc.
I fully understand that not everybody is a fan, but on the other hand, many people are.
Today’s featured salad contains chicken gizzards, which are always a special treat for me. (If you prefer another part of the chicken, such as breast or leg, go right ahead – the taste will be nearly the same, but of course you’ll loose-out on the texture). The length of the cooking time of gizzards is VERY important – too short and thy will be too tough to enjoy, too long, and the wonderful texture will be gone and you will be left with hopeless crap. Usually, they will need about one to two hours of simmering or braising before frying or sauteing (Or saute them first, then braise one to two hours). Either way, if you are one of the many folks who love them, the time and effort is well worth the time 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for Tarragon Vinaigrette Recipe
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Click here for more Gizzards on ChefsOpinion
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Salade De Gésiers (Romaine and Red Onions In Tarragon Vinaigrette, With Chili Gizzards & Honey Garlic Yogurt)

Salade De Gésiers (Romaine and Red Onions In Tarragon Vinaigrette. With Chili Gizzards & Honey Garlic Yogurt)

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Preparation :
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: simmer gizzards in lightly salted water until tender but not mushy, drain

: season gizzards with 2 tblsp chili paste (or to taste), 1 tblsp garlic paste, 1 tblsp honey, 2 tblsp say sauce, 1 tblsp hoisin sauce, add 2 tblsp corn starch, mix well

: stir fry gizzards in 380F peanut oil until crisp and golden

: when crisp and golden, remove gizzards to absorbent paper

: cut 1 small head of romaine lettuce into large pieces, add 1/2 medium size red onion, mix with 3 tblsp tarragon dressing, arrange on a serving plate, sprinkle with fresh-ground black pepper corn